Base construction for chairs



April 27, 1965 M. ROGALSKI ETAL 3,180,685

BASE CONSTRUCTION FOR CHAIRS Filed Oct. 11, 1963 United States Patent 3,180,685 BASE CONSTRUCTION FOR CHAIRS Michael Rogalski, Evergreen Park, and Irvin Goldberg,

Bellwood, Ill., assignors to Royal Tube Bending Company, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Oct. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 315,506 2 Claims. (Cl. 297-440) The present invention relates to a chair construction and more particularly a novel base or frame assembly for a chair or the like in which the frame is constructed of plural detachable parts capable of ready and easy assembly and disassembly and so constructed and arranged whereby the component parts require a minimum of space for shipping or storage.

The present invention relates to a chair assembly comprising a novel base frame constructed of three tubular metal parts including seat support shown in the form of a ring or annulus and two substantially U-shaped frame members each having legs of unequal length with the upper ends inturned or offset and each end conformably received and frictionally retained in a sleeve member afiixed to and depending from the inner circumference of ,the curved seat support to which the circumference or periphery of the seat is affixed.

' Another object of the present invention is the provision of a novel supporting base for a chair including a pair of substantially U-shaped supporting frames arranged with their bottom connectors crossed and thereat joined together, and an encompassing member for supporting the seat in an inclined position, the seat supporting member being detachably mounted upon the upper ends of the legs of the frame members.

In the disclosed embodiment, the legs of the frame members are of unequal length whereby the encompassing seat supporting member is disposed at a substantial angle relative to the horizontal so that the seat is inclined toward the front of the chair for ease and comfort in lounging and for ready access to and ease in arising from the chair. As the legs of the substantially U-shaped frame members extend beyond the periphery of the seat, such assures maximum stability to the chair when occupied and permits ease of entry and withdrawal by the occupant.

A further important feature of the present invention is the novel means and manner of detachably connecting the component parts of the chair base whereby these parts may be stored and shipped disassembled but readily assembled for use. In this novel chair assembly the detachable seat is of a flexible material having a peripheral portion or flange adapted to partially overlap and thereby anchored onto the upper continuous seat support encompassing or outlining the frame structure.

This novel assembly provides a chair base supported at the widely spaced rounded outer corners of the two substantially U-shaped frame members whereby the base is extremely stable when the seat is occupied as well as when the occupant arises or is seated.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity, efficiency, economy and ease of assembly and operation, and such further objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and are inherently possessed thereby.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a view in side elevation of a chair assembly including the novel base construction.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the chair base with the chair seat removed.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged view in vertical cross section taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged view taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrows.

Referring more particularly to the disclosure in the drawing and to the novel illustrative embodiment shown therein, the present invention comprehends a chair assembly having a novel base construction 10 for receiving and supporting a flexible seat covering 11 preferably constructed of polyethylene or other suitable plastic and having a circumferential or peripheral edge or bange 12 adapted to conform to and partially overlap a curved supporting member such as a ring or annulus 13 preferably formed of a continuous section of metal tubing, the supporting member 13 defining the periphery of the seat assembly.

The member 13 is detachably mounted on the upper ends of a pair of substantially U-shaped frame members 14 and 15 each having legs of unequal length to support the seat at an incline. The legs 16 and 17 of the member 14 and the legs 18 and 19 of the member 15 each have their upper end 20 inturned or bent laterally and each end is conformably received in one of four spaced attaching or anchoring sleeves 21 rigidly afiixed or welded to the supporting member or annulus 13 below and inwardly of the latter.

The connecting lower portion 22 and 23 of the substantially U-shaped frame members 14 and 15, respectively, are each arched intermediate their lengths at 24 and 25 and thereat overlapped and joined together by attaching means such as a bolt 26. This overlap is shown forwardly of the center of the connecting portion 23 and 24, the sleeves 21 at the forward or lower side of the base being more closely spaced than the sleeves at the upper side of the base.

When disassembled, the base 10 comprising the two U-shaped members and the supporting member or annulus 13 with its rigidly connected and relatively short anchoring sleeves 21, may be stored relatively fiat and in minimum of space. When the frame is to be assembled, the laterally bent ends 20 of the legs 16 and 17 of the U-shaped frame member 14 and the laterally bent ends 20 of the legs 18 and 19 of the frame member 15 are telescoped within their aligned sleeves 21. A bolt 26 is then inserted through aligned openings in the arched portions 24 and 25 thereof and a nut applied to the bolt to retain these frame sections 14 and and the supporting member or annulus 13 in their proper assembled relation.

When thus assembled as shown in FIG. 2, the plastic seat covering 11 is stretched or drawn taut over the member or annulus 13 with the banged edge or periphery 12 of the seat covering partially overlapping and tightly conforming to this annulus whereby the flexible seat covering is securely retained upon the assembled base. In the assembled position, the floor engaging rounded portion 27 I of each leg is disposed at the outer extremity of the base assembly 10 whereby the seat is extremely stable when occupied and which permits the occupant to readily and easily be seated or arise without danger of tipping.

Having thus disclosed the invention, we claim:

1. In a chair construction, a chair base assembly comprising a pair of substantially U-shaped frame members each having a long supporting leg and a short supporting leg joined by an upwardly arched base connecting portion providing floor engaging rounded portions, the upper end of each leg being inturned toward the adjacent leg of the other frame member and said connecting portions being crossed, a curved seat support, spaced sleeves affixed to the curved seat support, each sleeve receiving and detachably retaining the inturned end of one leg of the frame member whereby said seat support is mounted in an inclined position, means detachably joining the up- Q. wardly arched connecting portions together where they cross, and a flexible seat conforming to the curved seat support and having a flange overlapping the curved support for attachment thereto.

2. In a chair constructioma chair base comprising, an upper annular curved support disposed at a forward and downward inclination, a pair of substantially U-shaped frame members each having a relatively long leg and a relatively short leg with the base connecting portions of the frame members upwardly arched and crossed and 19 thereat detachably joined together, the upper end of each leg of said frame members being inturned, and an anchoring sleeve for each end of said legs affixed on said curved support and disposed inwardly and downwardly therefrom and each sleeve detachably receiving and retaining an inturned end of a leg, said sleeves receivingthe ends of the shorter legs of the. frame members being spaced along the lower arcuate portion of the curved support a distance less than the spacing between said sleeves receiving the ends of the longer legs, and which latter sleeves are spaced along the upper arcuate portion of the curved support. 7

References Cited by the Examiner v UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/51 Frech V 297 440 2,930,430 3/60. VBloorn 291-457 3,061,374 10/62 GroStillex 297-440 FOREIGN PATENTS 550,588 11/56 Italy.

FRANK ESE-ERRY, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,180,685 April 27, 1965 Michael Rogalski et a1.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

In the grant, lines 2 and 3,; and line 13, in the heading to the printed specification, lines 4 and 5, for "Royal Tube Bending Company, Inc.", each occurrence, read Rogal Tube Bending Company, Inc. column 2, line 10, for "bange" read flange same column 2, line 50, for "banged" read flanged Signed and sealed this 21st day of September 1965.

(SEAL) i Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner of Patents ERNEST W. SWIDER Attesting Officer 

1. IN A CHAIR CONSTRUCTION, A CHAIR BASE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED FRAME MEMBERS EACH HAVING A LONG SUPPORTING LEG AND A SHORT SUPPORTING LEG JOINED BY AN UPWARDLY ARCHED BASE CONNECTING PORTION PROVIDING FLOOR ENGAGING ROUNDED PORTIONS, THE UPPER END OF EACH LEG BEING INTURNED TOWARD THE ADJACENT LEG OF THE OTHER FRAME MEMBER AND SAID CONNECTING PORTIONS BEING CROSSED, A CURVED SEAT SUPPORT, SPACED SLEEVES AFFIXED TO THE CURVED SEAT SUPPORT, EACH SLEEVE RECEIVING AND DETACHABLY RETAINING THE INTURNED END OF ONE LEG OF THE FRAME MEMBER WHEREBY SAID SEAT SUPPORT IS MOUNTED IN AN INCLINED POSITION, MEANS DETACHABLY JOINING THE UPWARDLY ARCHED CONNECTING PORTIONS TOGETHER WHERE THEY CROSS, AND A FLEXIBLE SEAT CONFORMING TO THE CURVED SEAT SUPPORT AND HAVING A FLANGE OVERLAPPING THE CURVED SUPPORT FOR ATTACHMENT THERETO. 